Chapter 20

Chapter 20 - 1216 to 1220:

King Æthelstan II now has a taste of Irish blood, and he is eager for more. Luckily for him, his kinsman, DUke DKM of Gwynedd, tells him that his Court Chaplain, Morfarch, whose Grandfather was King Mumu, has a claim on the Petty Kingdom of Mumu, now ruled by Queen Siobàn. If Æthelstan were to push the claim, he could take the land for England, as long as Morfarch became Duke.

Æthelstan declares war on the small Kingdom, pressing the claim of the Court Chaplain of Gwynedd. He raises a total of nearly 9 thousand troops from East Anglia and Mercia, leading them to Wales in a very similar move to the first English-Irish war. The poor Queen is only able to raise 800 men, whom she sends to the English held county of Leinster.

The enemy army is quickly defeated, and the Queen is surprisingly captured in battle.

Now a prisoner, she is forced to surrender her petty Kingdom. It is the shortest war England has ever seen, lasting from July to October of 1216.

After the war ended, the Irish prisoners were released, many fleeing to other Irish Kingdoms or counties. Strangely enough, Beornwulf, Marshal of England and nephew of the King's, fell in love with a former courtier of Munster who was being held in England during the war. Upon her release from the dungeons, she and Beornwulf are married. She is considered a very scholarly woman, possessing many skills, and she is welcomed in England by most.

The next victim of the English conquest of Ireland is the county of Deasmhumhain, which is de jure part of the Duchy of Munster. In May of 1217, war is declared and 6 thousand levies raised. This time, Æthelstan remains in Norfolk, giving the job of leading the troops against the 1 and a half thousand enemies troops to his commanders, hoping to give them a little more experience in the field. The commanders include his very own son, Cynewulf, the Duke of Northumbria, and the Mayor of Hertford.

The enemy is easily defeated, its army scattering in the wake of the English.

In September of 1217, Earl Attalus of Oxford, Grandson of Attalus of East Anglia, passes away at 65. His county is left to his youngest and only living child, Guethencar. While most of the family moved away from its Breton roots, Attalus and his children retained their culture.

The siege of Deasmhumhain ends in June of 1218, and the Count surrenders. Now the South of Ireland belongs to England.

In July of 1219, more good news relating to the slow conquest of Ireland arrives in Norfolk; Chancellor DKM has managed to put together an English claim on the Irish county of Osraige, just north of Munster.

Æthelstan quickly jumps at the opportunity, declaring war on the third Irish ruler in 3 years. The levies are raised yet again and sent to Wales. Æthelstan, now 52, does not lead the troops. The small county of Osraige manages to put together an army of over 2 thousand souls, impressive for its size.

At the beginning of the war, Beornwulf comes to Æthelstan, asking him for Osraige, once the war is over. As Beornwulf has been a loyal Marshal for so many years, Æthelstan accepts.

The enemy army is defeated in November, and the county laid under siege. The siege ends in July of 1220, and the county is taken.

As promised, Æthelstan gives it to Beornwulf. He renames it Ossory.

Now at the age of 54, and more ill by the week, King Æthelstan II, most popular and successful de Gael King of England, moves to pass a raising of the crown authority. Before the Lords of England can deliberate, he dies in his sickbed on the 13th of October, 1220.

His son, Æthelstan III, ascends to the throne. Can he preserve the de Gael legacy that started with King Loup? Can he continue the conquest of Ireland, facing up to England's strongest rival Scotland?